Mr. David Hanna shares that he attended the American premier of “The Lafayette Escadrille” in IMAX this weekend in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton was the hometown of the Wright Brothers. He was a guest of filmmakers Darroch Greer and Paul Glenshaw. The documentary tells the story of the Americans who joined the French army in World War I before the U.S. itself entered the war. Mr. Hanna's book, “Rendezvous with Death” was source material for the film. Darroch Greer and his cameraman took over Principal, Eric Contreras’s office for a day in 2016, and interviewed Mr. Hanna at length about the American volunteers. Excerpts from this interview are featured in the film.
Mr. Hanna stated that he took part in a symposium the day after the film’s premier on the squadron and its place in American and French history. Joining him in the symposium were author, Steve Ruffin and French general, Yvon Goutx. Goutx commanded a squadron of Jaguars in Operation Desert Storm. He is the president of the Lafayette Escadrille association in France.
List of attached images (film poster, screening in IMAX, shaking hands with French general Yvon Goutx courtesy of Mr. Hanna)
